FM Cultural Calendar | Starting Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The School for LiesIn David Ives's freewheeling rewrite of Moliere's The Misanthrope, a disillusioned curmudgeon named Frank resolves to tell the truth to everyone he meets, no matter how disconcerting or offensive they may find it. This being a comedy, however, Frank is diverted from his highminded path by his love for the beautiful Celimene, a bored aristocrat with an equally sharp tongue. The play's virtuosic use of language turns their verbal duel into theatrical fireworks of the highest order. Andrew S. Paul directs.11/22/2012 - 12/15/2012Time: various

Metropolitan Opera National Council District AuditionsLocal and national contestants will compete at this first level of auditions. Winners will proceed to regional auditions in Buffalo for a chance to go on to the Semi Finals and Grand Finals Concert in March, 2013. Pittsburgh's 2012 District winner, Andrey Nemzer, was one of the top finalists at the Grand Finals Concert. District auditions are free and open to the public.11/24/2012Time: 10:00 am

Whistle Stop (with Eugene Perry, baritone)Internationally-renowned Eugene Perry returns for favorites by Mozart and Rossini, the stunning "Songs of Sundry Natures" -- settings of Renaissance poetry by the late English composer Phyllis Tate, and Songs of Experience by William Winstead, one of the Winds' first commissions from 1978. A post-concert reception includes guided tours through the mind-boggling toy train museum upstairs in this spectacular Victorian home.11/24/2012Time: 8:00 pm

Budapest on the Bluff: Dominantly DohnanyiAt 17, Dohnányi was championed by Johannes Brahms, but his tuneful, brilliant and heart-on-sleeve Romanticism was soon considered old-fashioned. However, today's audiences appreciate Dohnányi's sincerity, skill and emotionalism. The PSO's Gretchen Van Hoesen will be featured in his Harp Concertino. Bartók's Contrasts were commissioned by jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman. Its finale is a "Hungarian hoe-down," complete with a deliberately mistuned violin.11/26/2012Time: 3:00 pmPNC Recital Hall, School of Music, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PAwebsite | map